New police vehicle for RCIPS on Little Cayman

Little Cayman Police Officers Sandra and Simon
Bennett with the new police vehicle for the Island.

Friday, July 1, 2005

There have been a number of accidents on Little Cayman over the past month and the main contributing factor has been speed and alcohol, according to police on the Island. To help them combat the problem of drinking and driving, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) officers on Little Cayman received a welcome addition to their resources in June with the arrival of a brand new patrol vehicle, a four-by-four Mitsubishi Outlander.

The two new RCIPS officers on Little Cayman, Sandra and Simon Bennett, a married couple from the UK, took up their positions on the smallest of the Cayman Islands in November 2004.

WPO Sandra Bennett, the first Woman Police Officer to be stationed on the Island, and her husband moved to Little Cayman a year after moving to the Cayman Islands to serve with the RCIPS.

For the past two and a half months, the two officers had used a rental vehicle to conduct their police patrols. This was described by police as a necessary, but less than an ideal scenario.

PC Bennett explained, �The new vehicle has had an amazing effect on reducing the amount of speeding vehicles.

Its appearance is very high-profile and so road-users can now see a visible police presence on the roads of Little Cayman. So far motorists appear to have reacted accordingly and slowed down.�

The new patrol vehicle will soon be fitted with a radar gun which will increase the police officer�s ability to detect and prosecute speeding motorists. Once this is in place officers in Little Cayman will be fully equipped to deal with all manner of planned policing operations and road traffic accidents.

Sgt Adrian Barnett from the RCIPS traffic department will also be flying over to Little Cayman on Wednesday 29 June to train the officers in the use of the Intoxilyzer breath testing machine. The Intoxilyzer is used to process drivers who are suspected to have been driving under the influence of alcohol.

The current method of dealing with suspected drink drivers is time consuming and expensive, and it is anticipated that the new Intoxilyzer equipment will be a more cost effective method of prosecuting those drivers who disregard Cayman�s drink-driving laws.

WPO Bennett noted that although the vehicle is not yet equipped with the radar, a speedgun is now available for use and the Islands� speed laws will be enforced.

�Sadly the majority of complaints we receive are speed related or suspected DUIs,� she said and urged LC residents: �Please be sensible! Slow down and chose a designated driver if you plan to drink heavily.�

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